The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, at Imo State University, IMSU, Owerri, has pulled the plug on academic activities, launching a total and indefinite strike. The move comes after months of what the union describes as blatant disregard for a landmark agreement signed with the Federal Government.
The announcement landed on Monday, August 10, 2026, during a charged press conference on the university campus in Owerri. Branch Chairman Stephen Oguji and Secretary Lazarus Chikwendu didn’t mince words: the Imo State Government and university management have failed to implement the 2025 ASUU-FGN Agreement, inked on December 23, 2025, and slated to take effect on January 1, 2026.
The union’s frustration is palpable. Despite repeated presentations of the agreement to the university administration, multiple meetings with management, and a 21-day ultimatum, the response has been deafening silence. The strike, they insist, is a last resort after months of patience.
In a statement that cuts to the core of the crisis, the union leadership laid bare the grim reality: “Recall that ASUU and FG on 23rd December, 2025 signed an agreement for enhanced welfare of Academic staff and for other conditions of service in public universities scheduled to take effect from 1st January, 2026. On this, ASUU addressed the media on May 11th, 2026 after Yola NEC. At the Zonal level, approximately six weeks ago, ASUU Owerri Zone addressed the media calling on Imo State government to implement the Agreement in IMSU.”
The numbers tell a painful story. Nearly eight months on, nothing has changed at IMSU. Meanwhile, state-owned universities in Bauchi, Ekiti, Ogun, Osun, and Sokoto have already begun implementing the agreement. The contrast is stark, and the union is not shy about calling it out.
“To be sure, before now the branch following the directive of the National Executive Council has formally presented the Agreement to the University Administration severally, interacted with management, issued a 21 day ultimatum, yet nothing was done! No meaningful response,” the statement reads.
But the grievances run deeper than the 2025 agreement. The union is also seething over a laundry list of long-standing issues: IMSU’s continued retention in the Treasury Single Account, which they call a complete erosion of university autonomy; promotion arrears unpaid since 2016; salaries withheld for several months for many members; 21 months of check-off dues held back; and Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) untouched since 2009.
This isn’t the first time the union has been pushed to the brink. The same issues sparked a strike in 2024, which was suspended only after management made heartfelt promises to address them. Those promises, the union says, were never kept.
“ASUU-IMSU has therefore today, 10th August, 2026 embarked on a total and indefinite strike and vows never to return to work until the agreement is fully implemented,” the leadership declared. “The union calls on the Government of Imo State as a matter of urgency to direct the immediate implementation of the 2025 ASUU-FGN Agreement in Imo State University. Continued delay serves no useful purpose and only heightens industrial tension.”
The union is now turning to the wider community for support. In an impassioned plea, they are calling on well-meaning Nigerians, particularly traditional and religious institutions, civil society organizations, parents, student unions, and critical stakeholders in education, to pressure the Visitor to Imo State University to act.
Despite the hardline stance, the union insists it remains committed to dialogue and constructive engagement. “However, our commitment to peaceful resolution should not be misconstrue as ascent to continued denial of the legitimate welfare rights of our members,” they warned.
“The Union cannot continue to watch while our members are subjected to poor welfare conditions. We sincerely hope that good sense will prevail and that the relevant authorities will act expeditiously.”
For now, the campus is quiet. But the tension is anything but. The ball is firmly in the court of the Imo State Government, and the clock is ticking.
